WWBPA trustees and volunteers were at St. Anthony’s of Padua church in Hightstown on Sunday to promote the need for bicyclists and pedestrians to be seen at night. Thanks to a generous donation by the West Windsor Policemen’s Benevolent Association, we were able to offer lights, reflective visibility gear (from vests to simple reflective tape) and helmets for below cost. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to the PBA!
These events are important to get people who walk and/or ride their bikes to work in the dark to be more visible to motorists, and therefore safer. The event was very well attended, and more are planned. If you’d like us to come to your organization, please contact us at [email protected].
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Help us promote nighttime visibility among “invisible” cyclists and others.
We will be at St. Anthony’s of Padua in Hightstown at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20 and at St. Paul’s in Princeton at 7 p.m. Monday Nov. 28. At each event, we will give a short presentation in Spanish (and English)? that also includes some basic “rules of the road.” We’ll then offer visibility and safety items such as reflective vests, lights and helmets for half price, funded in part by a generous donation from the West Windsor Policemen’s Benevolent Association. We need people who can help with the presentation as well as Spanish and non-Spanish speakers to help fit helmets, model vests and otherwise encourage “invisible” cyclists to be more visible to motorists at night.
The WWBPA responded to the county’s proposed CR 571 Main Street design recently, maintaining that it is unsafe for everyone: motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike. In the past 10 years, two pedestrians were killed on this stretch of roadway (2004 and 2005), while no motorists were killed.? A 17-year-old motorist was killed in 2006, however, just west of downtown Princeton Junction, when she lost control of her car on the curve coming off the bridge over the train tracks.
The proposed wider-straighter-faster design does nothing to address these safety issues. Instead, it preserves the current 45mph design speed and 40mph posted speed limit. Drivers don’t respect crosswalks when they have to slow from high speed, and the proposed design does nothing to provide pedestrian refuges in the center of the roadway to promote safe crossing.
Rt 571 Concept Illustration
The design also features a new two-way center left turn lane (TWLTL) that studies have shown to be unsafe; AARP calls them “suicide lanes.” One study even showed that artificially lowering the posted speed limit, but not the design speed, caused an increase in crashes.
Picture 7
Here’s a picture of Hamilton’s SR 33 that most resembles what is planned. The 45mph design speed is simply not appropriate for the pedestrian friendly Main Street that our Redevelopment Plan envisions. A survey of other Mercer County towns shows that Princeton, Lawrenceville, Hightstown, Hopewell and Pennington all have 25 – 30mph speed limits on their Main Streets. Why not in West Windsor?
The current design shows why Mercer County should adopt a Complete Streets policy to complement the state and West Windsor township policies – our transportation network needs jurisdictions with consistent policies to benefit our taxpayers.
Thanks to everyone who has gotten involved to support our position! We appreciate all of you who have signed our petition at the Farmers’ Market, or who have contacted the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, which recently conducted public outreach on this and other federally-funded projects.
More help is needed. Please contact our public officials to support our position. With a lower design speed and pedestrian refuges, our senior residents can cross Route 571 safely to the new Rite Aid, and our children can cross Route 571 safely to the new ex-Acme shopping center, as well as to the high school. And our teenage drivers should be able to keep control of their vehicles when going more slowly. Everyone benefits.
Hightstown’s Roger C. Cook Greenway is featured in the winter issue of the Rails to Trails Conservancy‘s magazine. The trail uses part of the old Camden & Amboy rail corridor and, the article notes, is at the heart of an effort to rejuvenate and reinvigorate the borough. It’s used by pedestrians, cyclists and inline skaters.
Three sections of the Greenway are now open, including the Heritage Trail that includes the old rail corridor and a refurbished whistle-stop. Future plans call for extending it to surrounding communities, such as East Windsor.
The WWBPA was back in Hightstown on Saturday for the borough’s annual fall festival that takes over downtown. Our table was next to the paddle-boat rides — a great location to talk with kids. So many took our bicycle safety quiz at a time that they were using the brick wall between us and Peddie Lake as a writing surface. And yes, kids will take a quiz outside of school! No grades, just the chance to win a prize. We gave away several front-and-rear bike-light sets each hour to some lucky participants.
Our bike safety quiz is now in Spanish, too! Word file PDF
The WWBPA once again will be at Hightstown’s annual Harvest Fair, which takes over the borough’s downtown from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. rain or shine on Saturday, October 9.
We will be bringing our message of bicycle safety and visibility, selling lights, helmets and safety vests and reminding people to ride WITH traffic but walk/jog AGAINST oncoming cars. Under New Jersey law, bicyclists have all the rights and responsibilities as motorists. Plus, it’s just not safe to ride into oncoming traffic (the opposite is true for pedestrians).
The WWBPA will participate in Hightstown Police Department’s National Night Out on Tuesday Aug. 3. Join the fun from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. between the police and fire departments, 148 N. Main St.
There will be face-painting, games, food, music — and of course the WWBPA with its safety messages.
Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month via Zoom. We will eventually resume meeting in the West Windsor Municipal Building. Email us at [email protected] if you would like the Zoom code.
Find us at the West Windsor Farmers Market (Vaughn Drive parking lot) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday from May through Halloween.
WWBPA trustees and volunteers were at St. Anthony’s of Padua church in Hightstown on Sunday to promote the need for bicyclists and pedestrians to be seen at night. Thanks to a generous donation by the West Windsor Policemen’s Benevolent Association, we were able to offer lights, reflective visibility gear (from vests to simple reflective tape) and helmets for below cost. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to the PBA!
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The WWBPA once again will be at Hightstown’s annual Harvest Fair, which takes over the borough’s downtown from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. rain or shine on Saturday, October 9.
The WWBPA will participate in Hightstown Police Department’s National Night Out on Tuesday Aug. 3. Join the fun from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. between the police and fire departments, 148 N. Main St.